If you’re putting a solar pool cover on for the first time, chances are, you’re also putting a reel (roller) together too. So where do you put it? Ideally you should make this decision before you install the cover, because some positions will require you to leave the cover slightly longer than others.
Don’t worry if you have already cut the cover to size. It’s not a big deal.
If you have a rectangle shaped pool, the standard approach is to place the reel at one end of the pool – slightly straddling the pool, so the blanket rolls easily on and off the tube without dragging across the coping. People normally put it to the far end, so its furthest away from where they will view it from.
The reel should sit at the end of the pool, hanging slightly over the edge, so that the cover does not drag over the pool coping when being rolled up.
This reduces wear and tear on your solar pool cover, and will help to get the best life expectancy from it. (Don’t forget to put the overcover on once it has been rolled up).
If you have an oval, kidney or other irregular shaped pool, the reel should be placed over the pool, at it’s widest point. When doing this, the blanket rolls from both directions, so it rolls faster and is easier to handle too.
When using this position, the blanket should be left a little longer in the length – if after attaching the extra length is not needed, you can trim it back then.
If your pool has a step, you can treat this as a separate piece, and simply fold it onto the main cover before rolling, enabling it to be rolled onto the roller. You can see in the image below how the step piece has just been flipped up onto the body of the cover, leaving it as a neat rectangle to roll up.
